Homemade Almond Flour

Almond flour is an essential part of low-carb or gluten-free baking, but buying it pre-milled can get unreasonably pricey. Grinding it at home is a fresher, less expensive alternative that has saved the LowCarbist a pretty penny this holiday season.

To mill, you’ll need a food processor (or a blender) and a bag of almonds. Blanched almonds yield the lightest, finest flour, but whole almonds provide a tiny bit more fiber. I always choose blanched, because they are slightly softer and easier to grind.

Freeze your almonds before you begin, else you run a higher risk of grinding the mixture into a paste instead of a flour. Once they’re in a food processor with a standard blade, pulse until the nuts are the size of large crumbs. Then turn it to high, checking periodically to see if the texture is to your liking. I usually grind mine to the consistency of corn meal, as most recipes don’t require the fine grain of store-bought flour.

Freezing is the best way to store the almond flour, and it should last well over six months. Depending on your local nut prices, this trick should save you $4-6 for every pound you use.